South Carolina’s state-owned electric and water utility, Santee Cooper, sent out a press release today stating that this morning's electricity consumption marked a peak-demand record.

Although winter is still a week away, unusually cold temperatures and the hubbub of a weekday morning combined to cause a peak-demand record at Santee Cooper today as homes and businesses worked to stay warm.

A new peak record of 5,743 megawatts, recorded between 7 and 8 a.m., topped a previous record set during January’s cold spell. Santee Cooper recorded its last peak, of 5,668 MWs, on Jan. 11, 2010.

“We woke up this morning to outside temperatures in the teens and low 20s. That hour of the morning is already a rush hour of sorts on the electric grid, and the cold weather forced heat systems to work harder than usual to keep our customers’ homes and businesses comfortable while they got ready for work and school,” said Bill McCall, Santee Cooper executive vice president and chief operating officer.

“We continue to work with our customers to help them run energy-efficient homes and businesses that save energy where they can,” McCall continued.

Santee Cooper will monitor the forecast and keep resources ready as more cold weather pushes through the state today and tomorrow.